Andre Villas-Boas once likened Jose Mourinho to the 'Ipiranga Scream', a cry for 'Independence or Death' by Dom Pedro, the liberator of Brazil.

AVB's thoughts can be deeper than his voice sometimes, but his point was that Mourinho had freed Portuguese coaches by proving their methods would prosper abroad, even in what were commonly regarded as bigger and more influential football nations.

This year, the Champions League has six coaches from Portugal – Mourinho, Villas-Boas, Sporting's Marco Silva, Basle's Paulo Sousa, Monaco's Leonardo Jardim and Benfica's Jorge Jesus – which is more than any other country.

Jose Mourinho faces the press in Portugal ahead of his Chelsea side's Champions League game in Lisbon

Chelsea players train ahead of their clash with Sporting Lisbon, as Mourinho (third right) watches on

Four of them will clash this week, including Mourinho, who is back in the city and at the club where, for him, it all began, and where he is held in great esteem by Sporting boss Silva, who called him the 'master of leadership and motivation' on the eve of the game.

The Chelsea boss was born and raised in Setabul, 20 miles south of Lisbon, where there is now a street named in his honour. His first break at top-level football came when Sir Bobby Robson invited him onto his backroom staff at Sporting and his first managerial role, albeit brief, was with rivals Benfica.

Mourinho has got into the spirit and was tempted into sharing his memories of the days when he was Sporting's 'do-it-all-boy' who was always 'willing to help'. And he wondered aloud about the kind of reception he might receive, having been so successful with northern rivals Porto after moving out of the capital.

'I'm not expecting to be received with special affection,' said Mourinho. 'I did nothing for Sporting. I limited myself to my insignificance. But I didn't do anything important to justify being received with particular hostility, and I've never stopped showing the utmost respect for Sporting and pride that a small part of my career was conducted there. Let it be the way people think it should be.'

Bobby Robson arrives at his first training session at Porto, where Mourinho was part of his backroom staff

Mourinho spent 18 months at Sporting before Robson was sacked in December 1993, with the team on top of the league. He says there is no grudge and no ill-feeling. In the years since, the club has suffered as Porto and more recently Benfica have dominated Portuguese football.

They have won the title 18 times but not since 2002 and only twice in the last 32 years. Last season, Sporting were runners-up and tonight Champions League football returns to the Arvalade Stadium for the first time in six years.

'Sporting is a big club,' said Mourinho. 'It was in economic crisis for a while and because of that it was out of Champions League but now they are back and fighting for the domestic titles and now they are back in the Champions League.

'The first match at home is against Chelsea - not against Maribor - managed by a Portuguese coach. I think for them it's a super motivation. The group is open. Everybody has one point. It will be a big match.

'They are a top team again. They are competing with Porto and Benfica and it will be difficult for us. A team that tries to be champions in Portugal is not a counter-attack team. It's a team that wants to be dominant in domestic matches but when you get to Europe people adapt to opponents.'

Jose Mourinho (left) is given an award by Bobby Robson (right) in August 2009

Sporting drew 1-1 with Porto on Friday. They have drawn five of seven games this season. Mourinho added: 'They know Chelsea is a strong side, so I'm not expecting them to play against Chelsea the same way they play a small match in the Portuguese league. Of course they are going to respect Chelsea. I will do everything for my players to respect them too.'

Mourinho is taking a team back to Portugal for the first time since Chelsea's game at Porto in February 2007. It is the first time he will have taken a team to Sporting since he left Porto for Chelsea a decade ago.

'Everybody is happy that Sporting is back,' said Mourinho. 'Every Portuguese guy – even if he is not a Sporting supporter. When Sporting was in trouble during the last decade, nobody was happy.

'I have the best memories of Sporting. It was a good time. It was a fantastic time until the moment they sacked Mr Robson. I was the do-it-all boy willing to help. We had a nice group who believed it was possible to win the league. It wasn't. But that's part of football.

'The manager complained at the time that it was the first time he'd been sacked and we said to him: 'Boss, there's always a first time. In football, the coach who doesn't get sacked isn't a coach. Take it in good spirits'. And that's how it was.

'It is a very nice club, with a huge population of supporters. Sporting is a club with big tradition.'